Method and apparatus for controlling access technology selection

ABSTRACT

A method and system for selecting at a terminal at least one of a plurality of available access networks for use with a wireless application invoked at the terminal according preferences associated with the wireless application, the network service provider, the subscriber, the subscriber subscription and application content provider. The selection may be constrained by an Application Policy received from a network service provider.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/705,212, filed Feb. 12, 2010, entitled “Method and Apparatusfor Controlling Access Technology Selection,” which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/705,203, entitled “Method And Apparatus Providing Access NetworkAware Presence To Applications,” which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to the field of communication networkmanagement and, more specifically but not exclusively, to management ofwireless communication networks.

BACKGROUND

Access devices such as smart phones, net books, laptops with wirelessaccess and the like may be capable of using different types of accesstechnologies, such as WiFi (IEEE 802.11), UMTS (3GPP), WiMax (IEEE802.16), GPRS (3GPP), EV-DO (3GPP2) or LTE (3GPP).

The specific access network and technology used by the access device isselected according to a fixed preference list stored in the device, oraccording to a preference list transmitted by the access provider. Thepreferences are typically meant to ensure that service is provided viathe subscriber's access provider or a partner provider. The accesstechnology is selected primarily according to signal strength (coverage)considerations and, after being selected, is used to support allservices requested by the user.

Access devices may select a different access technology in response toan event trigger based upon changing connectivity conditions at theaccess device (e.g., such as when the access device moves from an areain which a selected first access technology has good coverage to an areain which a second access technology has good coverage). These types oftriggers are defined by 3GPP, 3GPP2, 802.21 and other standards.

Within a specific access technology, quality of service (QoS)differentiation based upon the needs of a requesting application may beprovided. For example, a voice over IP (VoIP) application may beaccorded preference in an access network according to a business needsand application requirements.

Unfortunately, at times the initial access technology selected by theaccess device is not best choice for a subsequently invoked application.

For example, when a subscriber invokes a VoIP application on a dual mode3GPP/WiFi capable device, the voice calls may be served on a WiFinetwork even if the access provider prefers to have all voice callsserved via a 3GPP based technology (e.g., UMTS/LTE) because of thesuperior capability of the 3GPP based technology to handle mobility forconversation class services. Similarly when a device is accessing aspecific technology (e.g., EV-DO, LTE, WiFi, etc.), for packet basedservices, there is little to no control provided over the conditionsunder which an application may use that technology. This makes itimpossible to establish flexible policies that control selection of anaccess technology according to criteria important to the applicationprovider, content provider and access provider.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various deficiencies of the prior art are addressed by the presentinvention of a method, system and apparatus for controlling accesstechnology selection by a wireless access device capable ofcommunicating via multiple access technologies.

A method according to one embodiment comprises selecting at least one ofa plurality of available access networks, both wireless and wired, foruse with an application invoked at a terminal according to a preferenceassociated with the application, where the preference takes into accountat least one a network service provider preference, a subscriberpreference, a subscriber subscription preference and an applicationcontent provider preference. The wired access includes all accessmethods that maintain a physical connection between the access deviceand the network. The selecting may be constrained by an ApplicationPolicy received from a network service provider. The selecting may beperformed in response to a user invoking an application at a terminal,an application server initiating a transaction or a peer triggering atransaction. Additional actions may be performed in response to atrigger condition, such as an indication of network congestion orchanges in subscriber, application content provider or service providerpreferences.

A system according to one embodiment comprises network providerequipment (PE) including a control function server adapted to formulatean Application Policy and forward the Application Policy towardsterminals capable of communicating with a plurality of access networks;wherein the Application Policy defines allowable access technologyselections, and the conditions under which each may be selected,associated with applications invoked within multiple access networkterminal devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood byconsidering the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a high-level block diagram of a system according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of a method according to one embodiment;and

FIG. 3 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer suitable for usein performing the functions described herein.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be primarily described within the context of awireless access device capable of communicating via a plurality ofaccess technologies, where the wireless access device selects specificaccess technologies for communication based upon the specificapplication invoked as well as other factors. However, those skilled inthe art and informed by the teachings herein will realize that theinvention is also applicable to any communication device in whichmultiple means of communications are available and differentapplications having different communication requirements may be invoked.

FIG. 1 depicts a high-level block diagram of a system according to oneembodiment. Specifically, the system 100 FIG. 1 depicts a singleterminal 110 in communication with each of a plurality of accessnetworks 115A, 115B (collectively access networks 115), an accessnetwork multi-connectivity (ANMC) server 120, a Home Subscriber System(HSS) and Subscription Profile Repository (SPR) 130, a plurality(illustratively three) of application servers 140, a core network 150and one or more network managers 160 to manage the various networkelements and links forming the various networks discussed herein.

It will be appreciated that while a single terminal 110 is depicted inthe system 100 FIG. 1, a typical implementation of such a system wouldinclude many terminals 110, where each terminal 110 represents the userequipment (UE) associated with a user or subscriber of a wirelessnetwork access provider. The terminals 110 and other user equipmentinteract with provider equipment (PE) associated with the wirelessnetwork access provider, such as eNodeBs, routers, gateways, subnets,servers, managers and the like. The specific access provider equipmentused depends upon many factors, including the number and types of accesstechnologies used, the size of the access provider network, the numberof subscribers serviced by the access provider, the number ofapplications supported by the access provider, the geographic scope ofthe access provider network and so on.

Moreover, it will be appreciated that discussion herein relating tocontrol signaling, bearer traffic and the like is simplified forpurposes of clarity. Generally speaking, control signals as well asbearer traffic are communicated between the terminal 110 and ANMC server120 via one or both of the access networks 115. Generally speaking, theANMC server 120 communicates with the application servers 140 via aserver-side network (not shown) associated with the wireless serviceaccess provider, or via the core network 150. In

FIG. 1, control signals are generally denoted as dashed lines, whilebearer signals are generally denoted as solid lines.

The terminal 110 comprises a wireless network access device capable ofusing different types of access technologies, such as a smart phone(e.g., iPhone, Blackberry and the like), a net book, a laptop computer,a network access device within an automobile and so on. Generallyspeaking, the terminal 110 may be implemented using any type of wirelessdevice capable of communicating via multiple types of accesstechnologies, such as provided by access networks 115.

The access networks 115 may comprise any type of access networktechnology, such as WiFi, UMTS, WiMax, EV-DO, LTE and so on. Each of theaccess networks 115 facilitate communication between at least theterminal 110 and a core network 150 and/or other network elements andcommunications with the access networks 115.

The terminal 110 includes a plurality of user equipment (UE) applicationclients 112, an access network multi-conductivity (ANMC) controlfunction client (CFC) 114, and user equipment bearer handling components(UE-BH) 116. It will be appreciated that the functions indicated hereinas separate clients in the Terminal may also be implemented asfunctional components within a single client.

The UE application clients 112 comprise software executed at theterminal 110 to invoke a specific application, such as a GPS locationapplication, a VoIP application, a video over IP application, a remotetelevision programming application and so on. Each application typicallyrequires interaction between the terminal 110 and various servers,gateways, routers, network elements, other terminals and so on toimplement its respective function. The ANMC Control Function Client 114and the bearer handling components (UE-BH) 116 may be implemented asdistinct clients in the UE, as a functional entities within the UEApplication Client 112, or incorporated in the IP and lower layerswithin the Operating System kernel.

The ANMC control functions client (CFC) 114 receives control signalingfrom an ANMC control functions server (CFS) 122 within the ANMC server120.

The received control signaling includes an Application Policy that isused to determine one or more of the following: (1) the specific accessnetworks 115 (or group of access networks 115) used to support aparticular application client 112 and/or application server 140, or typeof UE application client 112; (2) the QOS level, permissions or othercriteria associated with one of more of the UE application clients 112;(3) interactions adapted to change the service level associated with aparticular subscriber to meet Service Level Agreement (SLA) criteria;and (4) other aspects of the operation of applications within theterminal 110. Generally speaking, the ANMC control functions client(CFC) 114 adapts the operation of the terminal 110 and/or applicationsinvoked within terminal 110 in conformance with service providerpolicies specific to the application as determined in the CFS 122 withinthe ANMC server 120.

The UE-BH function 116 comprises the hardware/software within theterminal 110 operable to receive and transmit information via the accessnetworks 115. The UE-BH function 116 conveys control signaling andbearer traffic between the functional elements within the terminal 110and the external functional elements, such as the ANMC server 120 andapplication servers 140. It is responsible for bearer handling functionsto execute the Application Policy, including the mapping of applicationpackets to and from the correct access network 115 as determined byApplication Policy.

The access network multi-connectivity (ANMC) server 120 includes an ANMCcontrol functions server (CFS) operable to control the operation of theterminal 110 and/or applications invoked within terminal 110 in responseto an Application Policy associated with the terminal 110 that reflects,the subscriber preferences associated with the terminal 110, the needs,applications invoked within the terminal 110 or other criteria.

Each of the application servers 140-1, 140-2 and 140-3 (collectivelyapplication servers 140) comprises the hardware/software associated witha corresponding application capable of being invoked by an applicationclient 112 in the terminal 110. Application servers 140 may be locatedwith provider equipment (PE) such as the ANMC server 120, located at anetwork operation center of an application provider or content provider,at each of the plurality of mirror sites serving a user community orspecific provider network and so on. Generally speaking, the applicationservers 140 comprise the equipment, software and firmware necessary tointeract with the user via a network to provide thereby applicationservices, content delivery, VoIP services and so on.

Each application server 140 is depicted as including an ANMC controlfunction agent (CFA) 142, an application instance 144 and an applicationequipment bearer handling function (AE-BH) 146. The ANMC ControlFunction Agent 142 and Application equipment bearer handling function146 may be implemented as distinct application components within theApplication Server 140, as functional entities within the application144 providing service to the UE 110 or incorporated in the IP and lowerlayers within the Operating System kernel on the Application server.

The application 144 interacts with the application client 112 of theterminal 110 to deliver the services associated with the specificapplication (e.g., location services, VoIP, video and the like). Theapplication equipment bearer handling function (AE-BH) 146 maps packetsassociated with the traffic flows of the application to the appropriatebearer channels, such as to one or more of access networks 115. The ANMCcontrol function agent (CFA) 142 controls the operation of theapplication 144 and AE-BH function 146 in conformance with anApplication Policy received from the ANMC server 120.

The ANMC server 120 distributes an Application Policy to the terminal110 via a corresponding Application Policy distribution path (APD-T),illustratively via a control channel or bearer channel within any of theaccess networks 115 compatible with the terminal 110. In the case ofmultiple terminals 110, each of the multiple terminals 110 receives fromthe ANMC server 120 a corresponding Application Policy. Differentterminals 110 may have the same Application Policy or differentApplication Policies, depending upon the service level agreementassociated with the terminal, the applications invoked by the terminaland/or other factors discussed herein. The application policy may beformulated using criteria from an application policy source 125, such asa service level agreement (SLA), network operator criteria/guidelinesand so on.

Information used to define the Application Policy for access technologyselection is received from a variety of sources, including one or moreof the access provider associated with one or more of the accessnetworks 115, subscriber information preferences, applicationinformation board preferences, network operating parameters (e.g.,network congestion indicators, QoS indicators etc.) and so on. Theinformation used to define the Application Policy is hierarchical innature in various embodiments. For example, access provider policies mayconstrain subscriber and application provider requested policies in viewof service-level agreements, network congestion indicators, QOSindicators and the like.

Access provider policies define the behavior of terminals andapplications within the access provider's network in accordance with thegoals of the access provider in managing its network(s). The Accessprovider policies are reflected in the Application Policy used todetermine bearer availability for an application. A separate ApplicationPolicy may be provided for each application or service that the accessprovider wishes to control. Additionally, separate Application Policymay be provided for each user according to user subscription informationknown to the access provider. The policy may be periodically updatedaccording to changing network conditions or other criteria important tothe access provider. A default Application Policy may be invoked forapplications for which an explicit policy has not been established.

Aspects of the Application Policy sent to the terminal may be modifiedby the subscriber, as allowed by the access provider. This allows theend-user to personalize aspects of their service in a manner permittedby the Access Provider.

Aspects of the Application Policy sent to the terminal may be modifiedby one or more applications, as allowed by the access provider. Thisallows the application provider to personalize or optimize aspects ofits service to the end-user in a manner permitted by the AccessProvider.

While the Application Policy may be modified in response to terminalrequests, application requests and/or other information from varioussources, the limits of such modifications are ultimately constrained bythe access provider through the access provider policies included withinthe Application Policy. That is, the access provider determines whichaspects of the Application Policy may be modified by theterminal/application, when such modifications may be made, under whatconditions such modifications may be made, the extent to which suchmodifications may be made and so on.

One example of an access provider policy is a stipulation that duringbusy hours of the day (or when network congestion metrics are above athreshold level), certain applications will not be allowed to use 3GPPbased access. For example, the video applications may be prohibitedduring certain critical hours or as a response to network congestion. Inthis manner, access network enforcement of QoS levels associated withthe access providers' subscriber community may be maintained for atleast the allowed applications.

Another example of an access provider policy is a stipulation that underpredefined circumstances certain application requests will be honored,while other application requests will be over-ridden. For example, anaccess provider may wish to always support VoIP service on a specific3GPP technology platform, irrespective of the technology platformrequested by the application (i.e., a VoIP application requesting use ofan available WiFi technologies will instead be forced to use andavailable 3GPP access technology). In this manner, QoS levels associatedwith individual subscribers or subscriber applications may bemaintained, irrespective of subscriber or application request.

Another example of an access provider policy is a hierarchicalstipulation of the access technology to be used by an application whenthe Terminal establishes multiple connectivity options. This controlswhether an application will switch to a newly available access option ormaintain service on a previously available access. Hence a streamingapplication may switch to WiFi when it becomes available due to mobilityinduced coverage changes, whereas an active VoIP call may be maintainedon 3GPP access.

Subscriber preferences and subscriber subscription preferences may bestored at the ANMC server or other service equipment (SE), such as atHSS/SPR 130. Subscriber preferences may also be stored at the terminal110.

The Home Subscriber System (HSS) and Subscription Profile Repository(SPR) 130 contain per-subscriber subscription information for specificservices/applications. In one embodiment, this information is used toalter the Application Policy according to the services authorized forthe subscriber. This allows access providers to charge subscribers forenhanced delivery of a service. For example, an access provider may wishto stipulate that a video service will only be available via WiFi,unless the subscriber pays an additional fee to receive the service viaLTE. The per-subscriber authorization to support this may be obtainedfrom the HSS/SPR.

Application preferences may be provided/received via an applicationprogramming interface (API) supporting one or more of the applicationclient 112 in the terminal 110 and the Application Server 140.Application preferences may be communicated by other means (e.g., viasignaling/control channels or bearer channels). Applications may beoffered to subscribers directly from the access provider (so-called“walled garden” applications) or from third party providers (so-called“over-the-top” applications). In either case, the specific applicationoffered to the subscriber may have requirements supportable byrelatively low cost or low bit rate networks, requirements necessitatingthe use of relatively high cost or high bit rate networks, asymmetricalforward/backward bandwidth requirements and the like.

Network operating parameters (e.g., congestion state and/or otherindicators) may be received via an API or other means from,illustratively, access network Operations, Administration andMaintenance (OAM) systems (not shown) or network monitoring appliances(not shown). The ANMC Server 120 aggregates congestion informationand/or other network operator parameter information from one or more ofthe available access networks. Based on this information, theApplication Policy which determines the network(s) to be selected may beupdated to reflect the changes in access network conditions.

Referring to FIG. 1, the ANMC Control Function Server (CFS) 122 gathersthe information relevant to the formulation of and Application Policy,formulates an Application Policy for each terminal and/or application,and distributes the formulated application policies to one or more ofthe appropriate ANMC Control Function Clients (CFC) 114 in the terminals110, and to the appropriate ANMC control function application (CFA) 142within the application server 140. As previously noted, theseApplication Policy distribution paths may be supported by any controlchannels or bearer channels supported by the access networks 115, corenetwork 150 or other communication mechanism.

An Application Policy may be distributed when an application is invoked,or it may be pre-loaded and stored in a terminal 110. In either case theApplication Policy may be subsequently updated at any time.

The CFC 114 in the terminal 110 is responsible for receiving the policy,and directing bearer handling components of the invention to use aselected access technology. It may also trigger scanning for additionalaccess options if the current access options are not consistent withthose in the Application Policy.

The bearer handling components of the UE-BH function 116 are responsiblefor mapping packets to the correct access technology when more than oneaccess technology is available. This mapping they be accomplished usingone or more of the following mechanisms: (1) Mobile IPv4/IPv6 extensionsthat permit flow binding to a Care-of-address associated with the accessnetwork; (2) Use of a Traffic Flow Template (TFT) to map traffic to adesired interface; (3) Use of operating specific APIs that permit SourceRouting to an interface associated with the Source IP address; (4) Useof APIs that allow routing table default route modifications toassociate packets with the desired interface; and/or (5) othermechanisms.

When UE application clients 112 and their associated applications arecapable of supporting only one access network option (e.g., a single IPaddress), the UE-BH function 116 maps packets received from the UEApplication Client 112 to only one of either Access Network A (115A) orAccess Network B (115B). In this embodiment, the UE-BH function 116wraps each packet (or group of packets) received from the ApplicationClient 112 for transmission via a tunnel that terminates at the ANMCserver 120. The ANMC server 120 then unwraps/extracts the packet orgroup of packets from the tunnel, and forwards the packet or group ofpackets to the corresponding Application.

In various embodiments, a bearer handling control function may beincluded within one or more of the application invoked at the terminal,network adapters, network device drivers and the terminal operatingsystem.

When UE application clients 112 and their associated applications 144are capable of supporting multiple access network options (e.g.,multiple simultaneous IP addresses), the UE-BH function 116 may beincorporated within the Application Client 112. In this embodiment, theapplication client 112 receives a directive from the control functionclient (CFC) 114 indicating the access network to use for anapplication. The access network may be identified using one or more ofthe following mechanisms: (1) The IP address of the access networkinterface; (2) The Network Identifier (e.g., SSID/PLMN ID) of the accessnetwork; (3) A MIP agent advertisement identifying an available network;(4) A Network Name; and/or (5) Other mechanisms that identify the accessnetwork. In response, the UE-BH function 116 maps packets to AccessNetwork A 115A and/or Access Network B 115B accordingly. In this case nobearer tunnel through the ANMC Server is required.

The Control Function Application (CFA) within the application server 140performs a function similar to that of the control function client (CFC)within the terminals 110; namely, informing the corresponding bearerhandling component (AE-BH function 146) in the Application Server 120 tomap packets to the appropriate access network 115. In anotherembodiment, the CFA function may be incorporated into the Application.In this case no tunnel is required and packets are sent directly betweenthe Application and Terminal Client via the chosen access network.

FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of a method according to one embodiment.Specifically, FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of a method suitable for usein a terminal 110.

At step 210, an application is invoked by the wireless access device orterminal 110. The application may comprise, illustratively, a VoIPapplication, a browser application, a GPS/mapping application, a videoover IP application and so on.

At step 220, a determination is made as to the preferred and/orallowable access technology options associated with the application inaccordance with an Application Policy previously received by the accessdevice via the access network. As previously noted, the ApplicationPolicy is controlled by the access provider and, referring to box 225,takes into consideration one or more of the following criteria:

-   -   Requests from Applications for a specified access technology;    -   Network Congestion state;    -   Per-subscriber subscription to specific services/applications;    -   Access Provider policies for how they wish to manage their        network;    -   Subscriber Subscription Preference    -   Subscriber preferences; and    -   Other factors.

At step 230, a determination is made as to whether the examination ofthe Application Policy triggers a need to perform one or more additionalactions.

At step 240, any triggered additional actions are performed. Referringto box 245, such additional actions may comprise searching for anadditional access network, searching for an alternative access network,selecting for use by the application an additional access network,selecting for use by the application an alternative access network,adapting the use of parameters associated with one or more accessnetworks and/or other actions.

Generally speaking, the Application Policy may trigger the terminal tomake access network selection changes, access network usage changes andthe like. A search for additional and/or alternative access technologymay be triggered when, illustratively, the access options currently inuse by the device are either insufficient to meet the QOS needs of theinvoked application or, conversely, excessive with respect to the QOSneeds of the invoked application.

Depending upon the stipulations in the Application Policy, no accessoption may be selected, a single access option may be selected, ormultiple access options may be selected. In one embodiment, if multipleaccess options are selected then the application may use multiplesimultaneous bearers established in the access networks to support theapplication (e.g., allowing a VoIP service via UMTS with simultaneousvideo via WiFi).

At step 250, the wireless access device or terminal 110 initiates newcommunications or adapts existing communications with the applicationserver 140 supporting the invoked application in accordance with theApplication Policy. In this manner, the Application Policy may defineone or more access networks to be used in support of the application,the specific loading imparted to a network by the application, any timeperiods during which the application loading of an access network may beconstrained and so on. The selection of the one or more access networks115 is made according to the Application Policy criteria and, in theembodiment of FIG. 1, supported by the user equipment bearer handlingcomponents (UE-BH) 116.

The method 200 then proceeds to step 220, where a determination withrespect to the preferred and or allowable access options may be made inaccordance with any changes that occurred with respect to theApplication Policy, such as with respect to time of day, networkcongestion and/or other criteria.

FIG. 3 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer (computingelement) suitable for use in performing the functions described herein.Specifically, the computer 300 depicted in FIG. 3 provides a generalarchitecture and functionality suitable for implementing at leastportions of user equipment (such as terminal 110), provider equipment(such as ANMC server 120 and HSS/SPR 130) and application equipment(such as application servers 140).

As depicted in FIG. 3, computing element 300 includes variouscooperating elements, including a processor element 302 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU) and/or other suitable processor(s)), a memory 304(e.g., random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and the like)and various input/output devices 306 (e.g., a user input device (such asa keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, and the like), a user output device (suchas a display, a speaker, and the like), an input port, an output port, areceiver/transmitter (e.g., an air card or other suitable type ofreceiver/transmitter), and storage devices (e.g., a hard disk drive, acompact disk drive, an optical disk drive, and the like)). FIG. 3 alsodepicts a further cooperating element 305 that may be used to augmentthe functionality of the processor(s) 302, memory 304 and I/O devices306 or to implement any of the various or additional functions asdescribed herein. In various alternate embodiments, cooperating element305 may comprise a control function client, control function server,control function agent, bearer function, management function and thelike.

It should be noted that functions depicted and described herein may beimplemented in software and/or in a combination of software andhardware, e.g., using a general purpose computer, one or moreapplication specific integrated circuits (ASIC), and/or any otherhardware equivalents. In one embodiment, software implementingmethodology or mechanisms supporting the various embodiments is loadedinto memory 304 and executed by processor(s) 302 to implement thefunctions as discussed herein. Thus, various methodologies and functions(including associated data structures) can be stored on a computerreadable storage medium, e.g., RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive ordiskette, and the like.

It is contemplated that some of the steps discussed herein as softwaremethods may be implemented within hardware, for example, as circuitrythat cooperates with the processor to perform various method steps.Portions of the functions/elements described herein may be implementedas a computer program product wherein computer instructions, whenprocessed by a computer, adapt the operation of the computer such thatthe methods and/or techniques described herein are invoked or otherwiseprovided. Instructions for invoking the inventive methods may be storedin tangible fixed or removable media, transmitted via a data stream in atangible or intangible broadcast or other signal bearing medium, and/orstored within a memory within a computing device operating according tothe instructions.

The above-described invention provides a mechanism to control accessmethods used by terminals on a per-application basis, while enhancingthe ability of service providers to control how applications aresupported on their networks. The various embodiments enable wirelessservice providers to offer new services in 3G/4G/WiFi networks byminimizing the impact of applications on the more band-limited accessoptions. Thus, wireless service providers utilizing various embodimentsmay offer application/content providers access to the API to requestaccess network services. Additionally, wireless service providers willthereby generate additional revenue from end-users by offering themenhanced access options associated with preferred services.

The above-described teachings and embodiments provided herein, such asmethods, apparatus, systems and the like for controlling accesstechnology selection, may be adapted in various combinations with theteachings and embodiments such as methods, apparatus, systems and thelike for providing network aware presence disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/705,203, which is entitled “Method And ApparatusProviding Access Network Aware Presence To Applications,” and which isherein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

While the foregoing is directed to various embodiments of the presentinvention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devisedwithout departing from the basic scope thereof. As such, the appropriatescope of the invention is to be determined according to the claims,which follow.

1. A method, comprising: selecting at least one of a plurality ofavailable access networks for use with an application invoked at aterminal according to preferences associated with the application, thepreferences comprising one or more of network service providerpreferences, subscriber preferences, subscriber subscriptionpreferences, and application content provider preferences; wherein saidselecting is constrained by an Application Policy received from anetwork service provider.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein saidselecting is performed in response to a user invoking an application ata terminal.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein subscriber preferences areentered and stored on the terminal.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinsubscriber subscription preferences are obtained at a Home SubscriberSystem (HSS) and Subscription Profile Repository (SPR).
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said step of selecting is performed for each of aplurality of applications invoked at a terminal.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein multiple access networks are selected to support a singlewireless application, the method further comprising: adapting bearerhandling components of a terminal to map packets associated with thesingle wireless application to each of the multiple selected accessnetworks.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein a bearer handling controlfunction is included within one or more of the application invoked atthe terminal, network adapters, network device drivers, and a terminaloperating system.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein a single accessnetwork is selected to support a single wireless application, the methodfurther comprising: adapting bearer handling components of a terminal towrap packets for transmission via a tunnel supported by the singleaccess network.
 9. A computer-readable storage medium storinginstructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform a method, the method comprising: selecting at least one of aplurality of available access networks for use with an applicationinvoked at a terminal according to preferences associated with theapplication, the preferences comprising one or more of network serviceprovider preferences, subscriber preferences, subscriber subscriptionpreferences, and application content provider preferences; wherein saidselecting is constrained by an Application Policy received from anetwork service provider.
 10. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 9, wherein said selecting is performed in response to a userinvoking an application at a terminal.
 11. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 9, wherein subscriber preferences are entered and storedon the terminal.
 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9,wherein subscriber subscription preferences are obtained at a HomeSubscriber System (HSS) and Subscription Profile Repository (SPR). 13.The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein said step ofselecting is performed for each of a plurality of applications invokedat a terminal.
 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9,wherein multiple access networks are selected to support a singlewireless application, the method further comprising: adapting bearerhandling components of a terminal to map packets associated with thesingle wireless application to each of the multiple selected accessnetworks.
 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, whereina bearer handling control function is included within one or more of theapplication invoked at the terminal, network adapters, network devicedrivers, and a terminal operating system.
 16. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 9, wherein a single access network is selectedto support a single wireless application, the method further comprising:adapting bearer handling components of a terminal to wrap packets fortransmission via a tunnel supported by the single access network.
 17. Anapparatus, comprising: a processor and a memory communicativelyconnected to the processor, the processor configured to: select at leastone of a plurality of available access networks for use with anapplication invoked at a terminal according to preferences associatedwith the application, the preferences comprising one or more of networkservice provider preferences, subscriber preferences, subscribersubscription preferences, and application content provider preferences;wherein the selection is constrained by an Application Policy receivedfrom a network service provider.
 18. A system, comprising: networkprovider equipment (PE) including a control function server adapted toformulate an Application Policy and forward the Application Policytowards terminals capable of communicating with a plurality of wirelessaccess networks; the Application Policy defining allowable accesstechnology selections associated with applications invoked withinmultiple access network terminal devices.
 19. The system of claim 18,further comprising: user equipment (UE) with a control function adaptedto receive the Application Policy from the control function server andadapt bearer handling components in response to the Application Policyand an access network preference associated with the wirelessapplication.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the UE furthercomprises one or more application clients for supporting respectiveinvoked applications, each of the application clients communicating withan application server via one or more selected access networks.
 21. Thesystem of claim 18, further comprising: application equipment (AE)including a control function agent adapted to receive the ApplicationPolicy from the control function server and adapt bearer handlingcomponents in response to the Application Policy and an access networkpreference associated with the wireless application.